Tupolev 1/144
Il-96-300 'Airbus'

A new modeling presence has emerged from Russia - Tupolev! The Tupolev Aviation Corporation has released four models so far: the Tupolev ANT-25 in 1/72, the Tupolev Tu-154 in 1/200, the Tupolev Tu-334 in 1/144, and the subject of this review - the Ilyushin Il-96-300. This is a little interesting, folks, as this is the same as if Lockheed-Martin were to get into the model making business and start producing Boeing aircraft.

The example I have is an interesting kit. The box claims to have 22 parts, though I count 28. The detail is beautiful in its simplicity, and the details present are finely scribed into the plastic. As the Il-96 is a four-engined machine, each engine comprises four parts. The winglets are molded seperately, so it should be possible to back-date this aircraft to an Il-86 with minimal effort. The kit does not include landing gear, and a stand is provided for displaying the final product. The decals provided are for 'Rossiya', and markings are included for the windscreen, windows, doorways, and other details.

Now I wonder if we could persuade Tupolev to do a few Antonov machines, a nice An-124 and/or An-225 for example.